Introduction to The Jedi Library
Welcome!
Hello there! Welcome to the Jedi Library. Let’s go into a little detail about what we’re doing here!
I’m Andy and I’ve started a YouTube channel, a website for reference, a podcast, and a Substack page to recreate my library here at home. Despite its modest size, it’s a collection, collated over several decades, in search of answers to fundamental questions: What is the Universe? What is Life? What is consciousness? Why is there something, rather than nothing?
Finding answers to those questions has been my, for want of a better word - hobby, for almost as long as I can remember. But why call it The Jedi Library? Most people will say:
“Surely the Jedi are just a fictional creation of George Lucas played out in movies, books, and comic strips of the Star Wars canon. They are space wizards gifted with supernatural powers bestowed on them by virtue of their intimate connection to a mystical energy field created by all living things, called The Force. Now, The Force is a great narrative device for a movie, but it isn’t real, you can’t take it seriously – it’s just a myth. Sensible people do not believe in myths, fables, fairy stories, or space operas. Sensible people have logic, and the scientific method to discover and communicate truth.”
Such a perspective is, of course, accurate – from a certain point of view. But that rather superficial attitude masks a deeper truth. No matter what we think or what names we use, we all seem to need a story or narrative, to explain what on Earth is going on.
The stories we come up with maybe vastly disparate, and different cultures may emphasise different aspects (the material, the mental, or the spiritual) to the point where they seem utterly incompatible, but they do share one fundamental similarity: and that is the search. The search for one ‘thing’, one idea, one formula, one IT that must lie at the base of the universal diversity we experience all around us today.
We have good reason to believe that this yearning for a singular explanation is extremely old. It is the source of all religion, the drive behind the most fundamental scientific inquiry, and lies at the root of all philosophy. The religious might call this explanation God, or Brahman, or Allah. The spiritually minded might call IT the Tao, The Divine, or The Sacred. To the science-minded it is the Grand Unified Theory, ultimately leading to the Theory of Everything.
I, and many others, have chosen to use the words George Lucas invoked in Star Wars. We simply call this IT: “The Force”. Now, I’ll be the first to admit, this may have some disadvantages: people might think we actually believe “in The Force” as portrayed in the Star Wars universe. We don’t – that would be ridiculous. We don’t have beliefs, at all. We don’t have a faith, as traditionally understood in the religious context. We simply have experience, as everyone does. Experience of “the intangible something” that is the source of the four fundamental forces, the source of matter, consciousness, psychology, spirit – all manifestation, or what Schopenhauer might call ‘representation’.
Even then, many people may feel awkward calling this most fundamental of concepts: “The Force”. They might feel it’s a bit geeky. They may well feel some cultural snobbery rising from within them. Pop culture, after all, is not treated with the same reverence as high culture, ancient religion, or serious academic scholarship conducted within the academy. However, calling this fundamental ‘something’ The Force does seem to resonate in very particular ways:
- It’s a non-partisan, secular term, unlikely to alienate people
- It doesn’t carry much negative cultural baggage, as many religious institutions now do
- It doesn’t involve complex, academically discriminatory language that science often gets bogged down in
- It is impersonal and isn’t gendered, or racially sensitive – it doesn’t belong to anyone, and
- there is no dogma
- It isn’t grandiose, backed by revered books, fabled celebrities in the form of saints or famous scientists, there is no hierarchy, and it has no institutions on which a gravitas of intellectual or spiritual arrogance can bloom. We would all do well to remember GK Chesterton’s famous quip “The angels fly because they take themselves lightly”.
These are very significant benefits and collectively they lead us to a place where we can syncretise the knowledge and wisdom humanity has cultivated in all domains, be they religious, scientific, philosophical, or psychological. This inquiry is available to everyone, it isn’t reserved for experts, clergy, or academics, and sooner or later, it leads to the adoption of a particular identity from which can emerge a certain distinctive personality: someone who is slow to anger, generous, trustworthy, tends to make good decisions, is clear of mind, and able to take things in their stride. Most notably they tend to walk a fine tightrope: being humble and confident, being sincere without always being serious, being disciplined and spontaneous, being comfortable and motivated. We’ll refer to such people as Jedi – even though they probably wouldn’t call themselves by that title. If you think carefully, you probably know of a few such people already.
As you can probably tell, this isn’t really about Star Wars, at all. It is about the exploration of The One, The One on which religions have been founded, The One which mythology dramatizes, The One that science seeks to understand, The One that we choose to call The Force. The One that we would do well to integrate into our lives.
There is more, much more, that can and will be said on these matters – but for now – I present you with the Jedi Library . . .
It’s only in a stage of infancy at the moment but in time it will grow with book and article reading recommendations, podcast and video suggestions, guided meditations, and courses collated to propel you in your journey of discovery and becoming. It will also house content such as this, designed to help you knit it all together.
If you have questions or suggestions do let me know in the comments and if you think this is a good idea, please hit the like button and subscribe.
Until the next time: May The Force be with You . . . Always
Andy